Demons and Angels
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Naruto was abandoned at a young age. Taken in by the Mist, he becomes what he was always meant to be. A legend, a hero, and a BADASS S.O.B.! But at what cost, and when it all comes crashing down who can save him from himself? Pairing Uncertain Dark Naruto
1. Ready

**Naruto is 16 at this time.**

(Undisclosed location)

"Mizukage-sama!" Cried an Anbu, as he burst into the Mist shadow's office with all the force of a hurricane, the sounds of celebration ringing outside.

The Kage looked up from the book he was reading, and ran an annoyed hand through his rough black hair, eyes narrowing into slits.

"Itake, what did I tell you about barging in unannounced?"

The Anbu bowed deeply. "I am very sorry sir, but _he _has returned from his mission." He spoke of this mysterious individual, as if he were a god.

The Kage tipped his hat down, smirking, exposing is teeth.

That would explain the celebrations.

"Then by all means, send him in...

The sound of a window opening gave the indication that _he _was here.

He was a tall fellow, but that was you could determine, as his features were hidden in a dark robe.

Surprisingly, the kage rose from his chair, and clasped him on the back.

"How'd it go?"

The hooded individual handed him a scroll, and the Leader of the mist poured over it, then closed it, stowing it in his robes.

**"I retrieved Iwa's sealing scroll, just as you requested."**

"Good work as always. I owe you-

The individual swatted it away, his voice distorted as he spoke.

**"You owe me nothing Zabuza. I repaid my debt to you when we overthrew the former Mist shadow. Even though I am no longer your apprentice, I will not accept your debt."**

The kage chortled softly, patting him once more on the shoulder. "Always the serious type, huh?"

A deadpanned look could be seen behind those robes.

**"I was told you have another mission for me."**

Zabuza sighed, shoulders slumping slightly.

This brat was the reason he had grey hair.

"Yeah...About that...

**"I have no allegiance to my former home." **Stated the robed nin stifly.

Zabuza nodded, the reason understood.

After all, if he hadn't found the poor gaki, he'd probably be dead by now.

Being abandoned by your own village, at such a young age...

Well, that'd piss just about anyone off.

But now, now Konoha knew about the Mist's secret weapon, or at least they had for a week or so.

Back in his missing nin days, he had happpened upon the blond boy, along with Haku.

How the chibi had gotten all the way from Leaf, to the Mist, he honestly had no idea.

But something made him feel sorry for the boy, and so he had taken him in as well.

In his brief employ to Gato, he had proved invaluable in stopping the Leaf Team cold, and even though the bridge was finished...

The fact that they had sent the Konoha team packing was indisputable.

And driving out the former Mizukage...

That had been all but a miracle, in his opinion, but again, if he had not been there, then he would likely be eating dirt in his grave right now.

In the ways of battle, the boy was _brilliant._

Nonetheless...

He was worried.

"This mission will be extensive. Should you succeed, then the joint cooperation between our nation, Sand, and Sound will continue. Do you still accept this mission?"

The shadowy figure gave a low bow, but now his tone was deadly.

**"I will accept it. With _great _pleasure."**

(A week later)

He stood on a hill overlooking the village, with flinty eyes full of malice.

Beside him were two others.

The one on the left was his own height, and her coal black eyes reflected uncertainty.

The girl to his right was perhaps an inch or so shorter than him, but her doe brown eyes reflected the utmost confidence.

He looked to them both, and nodded.

"Isarabi, Haku. Let's go."

"Hai." They said silently, and then the three of them split up...

--

"Hokage-sama! We have an intruder-

They were quite surprised when they found Sarutobi Hizuren at his desk, reading over a scroll with Tsunade, who practically everyone knew would be his successor.

Why she had stayed, after losing so many of her loved ones was anyone's guess, yet here she still was, at the behest of her sensei, even though Jiraiya had left to wander the world.

The blond looked up and gave them a glare.

"We're busy. Do you mind?"

Yes ma'am!" They declared as one, and left, closing the door behind them.

There was a moment of silence, then soft laughter.

"Idiots."

'Tsunade' smirked, as her face rippled. Slowly, her hazel eyes were changing to swirling blue, bearing long horizontal lines for pupils running where ordinary eyes should have been.

'Sarutobi' vanished, having been a clone in disguise.

She took a few cursory steps, then looked down at her expansive chest with a frown. The expansive cleavage bounced with every step. Experimentally, she poked at them, and they bounced in response.

Odd.

"Gah, how does _anyone move _with these things?"

Tsking, her long hair shortened, becoming rougher, brighter, the rest of her body rippling as well...

Moments later, Naruto emerged where the fifth Hokage had been, his blonde hair sticking out at all over in a very unruly matter.

Also the headband covering his forehead held a different symbol.

The emblen of Hidden Mist.

He wore an ebony black hooded cloak that went down to his ankles and was currently covering his face, the arms stopped at his elbows but the rest were wrapped in bandages with his hands in a fingerless black leather glove. He also had under that a shirt stopping at his chest that was colored red and an all black body suit.

His left leg had a hole visible around the knee cap and a kunai holster placed all the way down to his shin. He also wore a white belt clip around his waist and silver loosely hung one going diagonally with a large black sword hilt on his side, similar to that of his sensei's.

This was better than a henge, he mused to himself, deactivating his bloodline limit fully, shaking back the feeling in his body.

But even now, he still hadn't mastered it.

Whistling softly, he began to rummage through the Hokage's drawers seconds later, the pupils and sclera of his eyes returned to normal.

"Now, where _is _that list...

Care to know what just happened?

Iregegan. Literally known as body swapping eye. It allowed him to change form at will, and _whomever _he changed into, was none the wiser that there was a look alike running around.

The only drawbacks to this masterfully stealthy technique being the fact that it drained his chakra to near empty, and that he could only change into someone he had a strong emotional link to.

In this case, it was hatred.

His rare Doujutsu only gave you the physical appearance of your target however, none of their skill, strengths, memories, or jutsu, but nonetheless, with proper intel, it was the perfect tool for reconnaissance, as it could not be dispelled with a release, unless the user so wished it.

That, and it just felt _weird_!

At last, he found what he sought, in a hidden compartment under the desk.

Gingerly, he pulled out a scroll.

"Aha!" He cried softly, opening it, and pouring over its contents, beholding what he had sought.

It was a list alright, but not of items.

It was detailed reckoning of the Jinchuuriki like himself, and where they had come from, detailed background information...

Something made him frown.

"Wait a sec...

They were all listed M.I.A.!

Was he too late?

He shook the thought off immediately.

That was impossible! This list had to be out of date!

They _needed _these Jinchuuriki!

Alas, before he could ponder things further, the door opened...

"Kuso!" He quickly pulled up another henge, this one the shape and form of a Leaf Anbu, who was thin and reedy, as opposed to Naruto's well rounded muscular body.

Brown hair replaced blond, and his ffacial features became nondescript.

He had just pulled on the fox mask to complete the outfit...

And not a moment too soon.

He found himself looking at one very ticked off Tsunade and Sarutobi.

"Hold it!" Cried the blond bombshell.

"Care to make me?" Naruto answered in a deep voice that was not his own, but that of the man he was impersonating.

Tsunade responded by lunging for him-

Naruto sidestepped her attack in one deft motion, catching the incoming fist with barely an effort, the pulled her forward, kneeing her in the gut.

As she doubled over, he drew her close.

"Is this all the Leaf has to offer?" He snarled into her face, then proceeded to toss her into Sarutobi, who had been to stunned thus far to even make a move.

This doubled them both over, and left them lying on the floor in a heap.

Naruto placed his hands in an unfamilair seal.

"Stay down."

Seconds later, a giant whirlpool ripped out of nowhere, swamping the entire room, and tossing both kage level shinobi into a wall.

Foolishly, they tried to get up.

"I SAID STAY DOWN!"

Each time they rose, he performed his mysterious ability over and over, until they wisely stayed on the floor, aching from the high pressured blasts of water.

"What...do...you want?" Hissed out Tsunade, as she propped herself up on her elbows.

He smirked.

"The destruction of the Leaf for starters-

But before he could go on-

A shorter nin, clad in similar fake Leaf Anbu attire, but with a hawk's mask, appeared beside him. Even with the mask, and armor, it was easy to see that she was female, as long black tresses of hair could be seen hanging over her back.

In her arms was what looked like the hilt of a sword, which she proffered to him.

"I found it." She stated simply.

He took it, and released his hands from the seal.

They had what they came here for.

Naruto smirked behind his mask, playing his part perfectly.

"Ah, the legendary Rajin sword of Nidaime Hokage. This will make a _fine _gift for him."

Clearly, he meant for them to think that this was for Orochimaru.

Tsunade's enraged cry was proof enough of this.

Slowly, he turned to the lone remaining window.

"Go."

His partner leapt out first.

He strapped the blade to his hip, then formed seals, even as the two Konoha shinobi clamored up, he sucked in a deep breath.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

With a blast of air, he expelled the flames!

Now, a wall of fire seperated them, casting an eerie glow upon the intruder.

Tsunade attempted to extinguish the flames with a water jutsu-

"Piss off!" Growled Naruto, and the flames flared brighter, turning the liquid to harmless vapor.

For a moment, the steam swirled overhead, then with a shout, it again formed a miniature whirlpool, which in turn blasted Tsunade out of the room, via a high pressurized jet of water, slamming her against the wall, and leaving her unconscious.

"Why are you doing this?!" Sarutobi cried out, as Naruto leapt to windowsill, the flames now licking at the wall's edges.

He paused just in time to flip Sarutobi the bird.

"I hope you're ready for the Chunin Exams old man.."

Old eyes went wide.

"Wait-

Then he was gone in a body flicker.

A team of Anbu emerged behind the third Hokage seconds later.

"Hokage-sama!"

Sighing, the elder looked over the wreckage of his office, which Naruto had turned upside down during his search.

Was that Naruto?

"Let's clean this up...

--

(Mist)

Naruto raised a glass to everyone, who had gathered round him in the club that he owned, as a reward for his reputation as the Mizukage's personal bodyguard.

Not to mention the mansion...

"Allright! Let's party!"

A chorus of cheers went up!

**Next: The PARTY!**


	2. Set

**(Flashback)**

Yousuke ribbed Naruto in the side, shortly before they headed out to the club.

"Hey, you allright buddy?"

The blond blinked a few times, then looked to his teammate.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine."

Gone was his imposing attire of before.

Now he wore black jeans, a grey shirt, and overtop it a black leather jacket, with his traditional Mist headband worn on his left arm for the occasion, and his sword leaning against the far wall of his room.

Black snakeskin boots completed the ensemble, and with his tall, muscular appearance, he fit the bad boy persona with flawless perfection.

Overall, he looked rather imposing, perhaps even more so, without the blade.

Yosuuke himself was around Naruto's height, and lacked the imposing stature of the blond.

Far from it.

His brown hair, which hung over his face, and partially into curious silver eyes, made him seem almost like a goth in his attire, but for those who truly knew him...

He was anything but.

He sported a slimmer build than Naruto, but like the blond, he was all muscle under that skin. To the Mist, he was a goofball, someone who loved to have fun, yet was _fiercely _defensive of his friends.

The weapons belt he wore indicated that much.

Needless to say, he and Naruto hit it off right away.

He was also something of an oddball in the fact that he also possesed a bloodline, an eye technique akin to Naruto's

**Shinjitsugan.**

Also known as, the eye of the piercing truth, or Geass for short.

It was similair to a Hyuuga's Byakugan in a sense, but a Himura like Yousuke did not see chakra pathways, nor did he predict an opponents moves like the Sharingan.

The Shinjitsugan went _beyond_ that.

At its lowest state, you could sense the emotional vibes emanating of someone.

Take it a step further, and you could even see their _aura, _something that indicated not only the mood of the target, but their thoughts as well, if they were strong enough or close enough to sense, the general range being five meters or so.

At its highest level, a Himura could _manipulate_ a victim as they chose, via warping their own thoughts, and literally bending them to your own will, in a matter akin to telpathy.

This would break the mind of anyone weak enough, and they would become a puppet to the user, fuffilling his/her every wish, with no semblance of self.

Those with great mental fortitude could resist it of course, but to do so, they would have to devote everything to the task, or merely a thought, depending on the skill of the actual user.

Normally, when using his Doujutsu, a Himura's eyes became entirely purple, the only sign of his pupils being a pulsating red crescent V, that seemed to burn, as if it was on _fire_.

However, unlike Naruto, Yousuke was loathe to ever use his bloodline. Once activated, he often lost control of the range, and would be able to pick up on people miles away, human and beast alike, whether he wanted to or not.

Only with great focus could he narrow its range, and even that limited his Kekei genkai to singular combat.

He did not like using it, as the first thoughts he had ever picked up on, were those of his father, and how he planned to kill both Yousuke and his little sister, along with their clan itself in order to achieve a higher level of the all seeing eye. **(Sounds familair, don't it?)**

The former Mizukage did not believe him of course.

No one did.

Who would take the word of a child, over that of the Clan Head?

No one would.

Yousuke nearly went mad with grief, when the task fell to him, and him alone.

He had been forced to kill his father, with his own hands/eyes, in order to save the life of his sister.

The man had died with a smile on his lips, even as his own son crushed his brain from the inside out, leaving nothing behind but a bloody pulp of mattered flesh.

Still, nearly half of his clan was wiped out in the process.

Furious, the Mizukage had ordered the boy to be executed...

Right before Zabuza, with MUCH aid from Suna and Otou, overthrew him the day before Yousuke was set to be killed.

Somehow, the Himura had been _calm_, even when he was unshackled from the cell in which he had been bound, and the first thing he asked, was if his sister was alright.

When she was brought to him, unharmed he had just silently pumped a fist into the air triumphantly, declaring seconds later:

"Hell yeah!"

How he had maintained his sanity, remained a mystery.

At the moment, his usual attire, which consited of a long flowing cloak and heavy armor, had been replaced with a simple pair of tan khaki's, a muscle shirt, and a sleevless brown jacket worn over top it.

His friend gave him a solid look, despite the tough guy look, he could have read Naruto's mind right then and there.

He did not.

"Allright bro, if you say so."

He took up a heroic pose, pointed to the door, and as if there were and evildoer there, boomed out with great drama:

"Now let us be off! Destiny awaits us!"

Naruto sweatdropped, back to his usual self. "Dude. It's just a club. Don't go whacky on me."

Yosuke shot him a wicked grin. "Ah yes, but Isarabi-chan and Haku-san might be there....Not to mention Cera...

Deliberately, he let his words trail off, knowing it would pique Naruto's interest, at the mention of the three girls who were most prominent in the blonde's daily life.

It did.

"Eh? C.C-chan's gonna be there?"

Yousuke shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me. Sis does what she wants now a days."

He then marched out the door.

"C'mon! The Ladies are waiting!"

--

**(Reminisce/ Naruto's P.O.V.)**

I'm not really the kind to spill my guts to somebody.

It's really not my thing, ya know?

But…

(Laughs bitterly)

It's funny, now that I think about it.

I don't really remember much, about my time in Konoha.

Nothing good at least.

My first _real_ memory was of someone breaking my arm in a back alley.

I went to the hospital, and they tossed me out on my ass, no questions asked.

I was four at the time.

The orphanage wasn't much better,

Nobody wanted to adopt a 'demon'.

If not for baa-chan, and old man Hokage, I'd like likely be _dead_ by now.

But that doesn't really matter does it?

At _some_ point, I _still_ got tossed out, and for the sake of Kami, I can't remember jack squat about that day, or how old I was when it happened

I just…

Woke up outside the gates, and saw the Anbu outside.

One of them yelled at me, and it was something like…

"GET OUT DEMON!"

Then they chased me off.

Zabuza said I was around six when he found me and in the streets alongside Haku.

I always hated that place, yet…

I remember one _person_ was nice to me, back in the Leaf…

But why?

Why can't I remember her? Why do I draw a blank every time?

All I remember about her…

The color lavender….

The sight of that color makes me _happy_, so happy, even though my favorite color is red.

Who _was_ she?

I remember talking to her almost every day on the playground, our games of tag…

I remember.

That she always blushed and stammered…

But what…was…her... name…

I feel like I should remember but whenever I try to, it just slips through my fingers, gone in a moment.

All I know is that I want to see her again.

_Badly_.

It's become a dull ache, ever since I found out about this 'invasion'.

Does she remember me?

I hope she does.

Don't get me wrong, its not like we were childhood sweethearts or somethin', its just that I…

Well, I never got to say goodbye to her, and I wanna remember who she is!

Got a problem with that?!

Kind of funny for a guy who got booted out of his village when he was only a kid, isn't it?

Maybe she's taking the Chunin Exams…

So in a sense…

I'm looking forward to this.

But enough about that. Got keep a lid on it, ya know?

I bet you're _really_ wondering how I ended up here, and why I'm like this, partying like there's no tomorrow.

What? What's with the all the looks?

The fact that I'm a badass hotshot Mist Nin, second only to the Mizukage, an all around jerk and still _alive _doesn't interest you?

Well, I forgot to mention something.

I don't really care what others think of me.

Sit back and grab some popcorn folks.

You're about to hear my life story summed in ten minutes.

--

Well, truth is told…

I sorta hitched a ride with a caravan, to get away from the Anbu.

Of course, the merchant's found me out right away…

But get this!

They were all _missing Nin!_

And they were _nice! _And I mean _really _nice! They shared their food with me, gave me a place to sleep, showed these _cool _tricks, and they even offered to let me join up with them!

They were gonna take care of me….

Until the Anbu came for me that night.

It happened so fast, that-that-

They killed everyone.

Somehow I survived.

Thanks to him.

Kanji, the leader of the caravan, I guess he knew some secret summoning jutsu or something.

Because I remember, while his men were fighting, _dying_, he put a hand on my head.

He told me it'd be okay, that'd he send me somewhere safe.

He bit his thumb, and then slapped his palm on the ground.

He was calling a name or something, I think.

There was this HUGE poof of smoke, and I was on the back of this _giant_ dog!

He told the big mutt to take me away, and then it ran!

But…

As he bolted away with me…

I turned around to wave…

And watched the campsite exploded into a massive fireball.

I couldn't stop crying that night.

Whoever that guys name was, he was like a _father_ to me.

That fire has _never _gone out in my eyes, even in my dreams; I can sometimes still see it burning, smoldering, ready to blaze anew, at the slightest provocation.

Sorry, I'm branching off again.

Moving on…

The dog dropped me off in some small town, and then he left me too.

I wandered endlessly on those streets, cold, hungry, and alone.

That place didn't have an orphanage, and if you were an orphan…

You were on your own.

And that…

That was right around when I awakened my bloodline.

I just felt so strongly about Kanji-sensei, that one day, I just found out that I could make myself _look _like him.

Boy was I surprised!

It was really useful, and I was able to get food, because this guy was BIG, and I mean the scary looking kind.

All I had to do was grunt, and everyone would just give me food.

I think I met Haku-chan around that time.

She was running through the snow, and…

She kinda bumped into me, when I was getting lunch.

More like she nearly _bowled me over_!

I thought she was trying to steal my food, so I put on my disguise and started shouting for her to beat it-

She looked really scared, was on the verge of tears before I even said the first word, doe brown eyes swimming with misery and pain.

She had blood all over her.

I undid my kekei genkai, and her scared look turned to puzzlement, then suspicion.

I offered her an apple, and she took it, hesitantly, eyeing me warily, but gazing longingly at the fruit.

I then tore off a hunk of bread, and gave it to her, along with my half, when she refused to eat it.

"C-C'mon. It's c-cold out, y-you need to stay w-warm."

I wasn't expecting a hug.

We just started talking from there.

She had a bloodline too, she could manipulate ice and water, she could even make it snow for a little bit, if she wanted.

Soon enough I found out that my doujutsu wasn't limited to just Kanji-sensei, I found out that I could make myself look like Haku-chan too!

You should have seen the look on her face when I pulled the old mirror trick on her!

From that day on, we became a dynamic duo, we RULED that town.

Okay okay! Not really, but we were definitely infamous!

This was mostly due to the fact that we possessed bloodline limits.

Something most people hated us for.

But regardless, they didn't know that this big hulking missing Nin was just a kid in disguise, and when they failed to undo what _they_ thought was a henge, that was enough to send most of them packing.

I used my bloodline to scare any enemies off, and while I did, she would steal food for us, disarming many an adversary with that innocent smile.

Ah, every time she smiled…

She's important to me now.

Really important.

Well, long story short, life was okay. We were _surviving_, but that was only because of the war Mist was in, they were too busy to check up on the complaints they were receiving.

Haku and I never complained, but anyone could see it in our eyes.

We wanted _more_.

And we got it.

Our little escapades soon attracted some attention, during the infighting amongst the Mist.

Attention in the form of one Zabuza Momochi.

When he heard about us, he came to the small town of Inaba .

Isarabi must have met him somewhere along the way, because she was already hanging onto his hand when we first met him.

He saw through my disguise immediately, and was rather awed by Haku's own bloodline, something Isarabi was aware of just by looking at us.

She was maybe a year younger than me, five I think, and that someone younger than us was this knowledgeable…

Well, it was a bit of a wakeup call.

Contrary to attacking us, he caught us off guard with his next move.

He offered us the one thing we wanted, yet did not have.

A place to belong.

"Impressive. You two aren't even trained…He murmured, eyeing us both over keenly.

His eyes locked on me suddenly, or to be more precise, the _whisker marks _upon my face.

But he turned away just as quickly, instead looking us both over with those deadly eyes of his.

"What…do you two intend to do with your lives?"

I'm certain he knew what my goal was, even at such a young age; my destiny was set in those eyes of his, as if he saw the very flames that tormented my nightmares and waking dreams.

"Ah… So you're looking for payback, blondie?"

He now looked at Haku, who seemed unflinching.

"And what about-

"You have the same eyes as me and Naruto, mister. We're the same." She literally said that, with that same innocent smile upon her face, even as she interrupted him.

His cold onyx black eyes seemed to soften, as if he was looking at us for the first time, just now noticing how bedraggle we looked, practically skin and bones, thanks to the lack of food in this town, most of it was stale or moldy anyways.

We both jumped back a pace when he extended his free hand, but when we saw no weapon, only minutely did we relax. Months of clawing our way to the top of this 'food-chain' had left us both on edge.

Yet his words struck at our heats.

"You two, come with me. I'll show you what it means to be _true _shinobi. With your raw talent, and my training, I'll make your goals my own." He clenched his hand into a fist for emphasis, and spared Isarabi a glance, as she had been silent thus far.

She nodded minutely as he spoke again.

"We'll make our dreams a _reality_. Whaddya say?"

Haku _jumped _at the idea, and I did too, our enthused cry of "YES!" heard for miles around.

The need to belong to something was overpowering, _overwhelming_. It filled us with desire, the desire for comfort and peace a warm bed at night, all the pleasantries most families had, but outcasts like ourselves were denied the right to.

I remember a low chortle, as he laughed, almost as if to himself.

"Well well, aren't we lively…?

Zabuza suddenly reached down, and scooped us both up.

He placed Haku on his left shoulder, took my hand, small at the time, in his own, dwarfing it…

Then with a grunt, he proceeded to heave me up on his right shoulder, scooping up an exhausted Isarabi in his arms mere moments later, as Haku and held onto the pads of his vest for support.

"All set back there?" He asked, as his pace began to hasten.

Haku and I nodded as one.

At that moment, it was like I had a dad all over again.

I didn't know if Kanji-sensei had this planned for me, but from that moment on, I just knew.

I knew it was going to be alright.

--

When he brought us to the Mist the first time, it was pure _chaos_.

His attempt to assassinate the current Mizukage blew up in his face, forcing him and us to flee the country, along with a few of his followers, who fell to tracker Nin.

Zabuza himself prevailed, and for a few years, the four of us took up jobs as bounty hunters, a.k.a. missing Nin.

This was only until we could go back to the Mist with enough allies to usurp the Mizukage.

We made a few friends here and there, but mostly enemies, as most traitors do.

That was around the time Zabuza came into the employ of Gatou.

The sum of money was just too good for us to resist.

We were given the task of eliminating Tazuna, and the ninja hired to protect him.

By this point, I was around twelve, and generally experienced in the usage of Suiton jutsu, Haku had nearly achieved total mastery of her own bloodline…

And Isarabi had developed the fish scale marks that dotted her body here and there.

We each had come a long way in the past few years, and could easily be called the best of friends.

However, we were eager to prove ourselves, in the wake of the Demon Brother's failure to assassinate Tazuna.

We caught up to them rather easily, and with more stealth than our former comrades had employed

I wrinkled my nose in distaste, as we beheld the team, from the safety of the trees.

They didn't look that tough.

Two girls, one boy, one man.

One was a girl with long pink hair, and wearing a hideous red dress/outfit.

"Bleh, _pink _hair? Who the heck has hair like that?"

She appeared to be fawning over the boy, who had raven black hair which ended in the comical shape of a duck's butt, and was ignoring her completely.

He carried a superior attitude about himself, and this only annoyed me, as did the aloof way in which the gray haired Jonin seemed to walk.

However, it was the last member of the team that made my eyes widen slightly.

Short, navy blue hair, shy body posture….

Wait…

I felt as if I knew her, but her head was off to one side, and I couldn't see her face…

What color were her eyes?!

Haku's voice jarred me out of my thoughts.

"Three genin, one Jonin."

"Hai. Four against one- This was Isarabi speaking, and I paid attention-

Until I saw the Leaf headbands, and that drove all semblance of self control from my body.

"They're from Konoha! Zabuza-sensei! Lemme at em!"

My eyes narrowed to slits, I began to get up….

His arm pinned me down, and he shook his head, beginning to rise, whilst keeping me trapped.

"No, stay here."

Slowly, he unbuckled his giant guillotine sword.

"This fight's beyond you three right now."

Impossibly fast, he heaved the blade down, and the battle began.

Zabuza _insisted _upon going this fight alone, when he saw that Hatake Kakashi was part of the team assigned to guard the bridge builder.

However, for all our faith in him, we were unprepared when he lost.

Had not Haku intervened as a 'Hunter Nin' then Zabuza would have died on the spot.

This bought us a reprieve, as it was now believed that Zabuza was dead.

While _he_ recovered, _we_ trained, trained like we never had before, pushing ourselves to our limits and past them the very breaking points, until we passed out, got back up, and did it all over again.

By the end of the week, we were confident that we each had an ace or two up our sleeves, for when we met the Leaf Team again.

However, during this time, Gatou began to severely grate on my nerves, to the point where Haku had to actually break the businessman's arm to prevent me from just lopping his head off, right then and there.

Zabuza had determined that after this mission…

We would no long require Gatou's services.

It was also during this time that we saw why Isarabi loved the water so.

Or rather, _I_ did.

It was an accident I swear!

I went out to take a swim on the last night of the week, nearby the bridge.

As instructed, I made sure it was the dead of night, but…

Then I saw her.

She burst from the water in a spray of salt, and was suddenly silhouetted against the light of the full moon.

She wore something that seemed to fit tightly to her skin, and allowed water to dance off her arms, her legs…

Or rather, her tail, where her legs _should_ have been.

In place was indeed a large tail, ending just under her hips, where even from here, I could see the emerald sparkles.

A mermaid. I thought to myself, as she dove back underneath the water, only to surface moments later, and toss back her long hair, drenched against her back.

NOW I understood the markings upon her body, as well as another, more embarrassing fact….

One, Isarabi's markings seemed to appear on her skin when she was swimming…

Perhaps she was holding back this transformation?

And two…

She didn't have anything that was that skintight! All she ever wore was long baggy jeans and sweats, in order to hide her marks….

This meant, as I saw her long black hair part to one side in the breeze…

She wasn't wearing any clothes _at all!_

As fate would have it, at that moment, she happened to look my way.

Immediately, she turned a bright, beet red.

I'm pretty sure I fainted, right then and there on the spot.

--

I awoke to see her face over me, and immediately closed my eyes, fearing she would smack the crap outta me…

The lovely woman she had matured into, thanks to her transformation…

Remained silent, hands crossed over her chest, to prevent any peeking.

She now looked to be at least seventeen, even though she was only around eleven in reality, and the deep pink flush upon her face made it quite clear.

"H-How d-do I look?"

I wondered if this was how she was going to look when she got older…

That seems to be the case, now that I think back on it….

"Y-You look…

**(End P.O.V.)**

Naruto could not help but smirk upon remembering the antics of his preteen years.

"Nice."

Those were the days…

And this was now.

Might as well enjoy himself before next week.

He followed Yousuke into the club...


	3. Go!

**I don't think this'll be a harem just yet. Think of it as Naruto seeking some comfort until he can find Hinata-chan. Unless ya'll want it to be a harem? PM me for votes please.**

The bouncer nodded and allowed the two entry.

Immediately they were assaulted by the music that was being blasted out of the speakers. Outside it had been an acceptable volume but inside it seemed to be ten times as loud.

Naruto started when Yosuke shoved led him towards a flight of stairs. "Come on!" He then relaxed and started to look around the club, as he was led through it.

Most of the ground floor was open-plan to maximise the amount of clubbers that could fit into the place. The bar ran around the edge of the dance floor and there was a set of doors that led off to the toilets.

Then there was the balcony that circled above the dance floor. This was a place for the VIPs to sit and watch the action below while they took a break from dancing.

He stumbled forward a bit, as he was led up the stairs, to yet another dance-floor. This one was more crowded than its larger cousin on the lower level.

A Dj was here as well, and Naruto was nearly deafened by the blaring bass speakers, and practically blinded by the pulsating lights.

"Pretty loud, isn't it?" Shouted Yousuke over the bass, a wide smile on his face as said so. Naruto nodded and shouted his response as well.

"Why did you bring me up here?"

Yousuke put two fingers to his lips and whistled.

**(Present)**

Naruto was almost immediately aware that almost every girl in the room had their eye on him at the moment, as it had almost always been since he became an Anbu.

It was almost as if they were waiting for him to choose a dance partner, before the festivities could truly kick off again.

Annoyed, he glared at Yousuke.

"You set me up!"

"So?" Grinned his best friend, as he jerked his head to the left. "It's for a good cause."

Naruto looked in that direction...

And felt his jaw drop.

Wide, golden glassy orbs gazed back at him, showing only a hint of amusement, as she flicked aside a strand of emerald green hair, then looked away shyly.

But that first look had been smoldering, _burning_, as if she were deliberately holding herself in check.

She had chosen to wear a more traditional Kimono styled mini dress white in color, which matched her eyes perfectly. The dress was cut to a low v-neck style, which also showed a good amount of cleavage, as the dress seemed to be painted upon her body showing off all her womanly curves.

The final touch to the dress was the gold and silver metallic foil print graphic flowers placed on the sleeve and mid-dress to hem line which stopped at mid-thigh showing off both long and toned legs.

The long tresses of her hair cascaded down her back, with a a few strands hanging over her forehead, in addition to a portion of her it now hanging over either side of her shoulders.

Her figure was slimmer in a sense, although she still retained an ample bosom and curves; her body could not be called compact, and therefore had a slimmer look to it making her movements lithe and graceful, adding sensuous beauty to even the slightest of steps.

Her eyes twinkled with life, and her face was more refined and slender, suggesting a sort of aristocratic beauty.

Looking at her now, you could never tell that this was Yousuke's little sister.

She made her way towards them, but passed Yousuke with a smile, focused solely on Naruto.

"Nice to see you again.... She murmurred, and crossed the small distance between them with one step, flashing her long legs in the process, a motion that did not go unnoticed by the blond.

"Told ya." Smirked the Himura, giving his sister a wink, which of course made her blush a deep pink.

"C.C.?" The use of her nickname, coming from Naruto, grabbed her attention.

Meekly, she turned round to face him.

"H-Hello, Naruto-kun."

"Wow... Was all he could murmur.

"N-Nani?" She stammered, flushing pink once more.

"Y-You look great." He managed to say, and at this, she willed her body to move.

Tenderly, much like a lover would, she hugged him, running her arms around his back, as if she was afraid to embrace him too tightly.

A beatific smile covered her entire face when his arms moved around her back, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Would you like to dance?" She asked shyly, shirking her face away.

He found himself nodding, and delicately took her hand.

Yousuke cast a quick look up to the Dj and his eyes changed to the crescent purple, as he planted a quick thought in the man's mind, before the voices of everyone else could overwhelm him.

_'Let's play something slow..._

Naruto and C.C. both stiffened as the music changed, to a slower tune.

Her arms shyly encircle his neck, and his hands tenderly move to her waist.

She rests her head on his own, and he does the same with her.

Silently, they dance, until at last the song ends.

C.C. is blushing furiously now, he notices this, but suddenly flushes, as he feels something against his cheek.

She pulls away, and gives him a quick bow, flushing madly.

"I-I have to go!"

She hastily runs away, and is soon lost from sight in the crowd.

Yousuke scratched the back of his head, whistling to himself.

"Hehe. She really laid one on ya, didn't she?"

Stunned, Naruto raised a hand to touch at where he had been kissed.

"Yeah...

The dim sound of beeping drew his attention.

Quickly, he cast a glance at his watch, but groaned, soon wishing he hadn't done that.

"Kuso…

Now, he had about a half an hour to goof off, then he had to meet with the representatives from Suna and Otou.

If he was late, Zabuza would never let him hear the end of it.

_'Well, might as well make it count…_

Sighing, he cast his eyes about for any familiar faces, especially that of Haku or Isarabi, now that C.C. is gone.

He couldn't find any sign of them, and this miffed him slightly.

He would have much rather preferred to dance with one of them, rather than some stranger.

Yet none of this was seen upon his face, as he singled out the two most attractive girl's there, the only one's who weren't looking at him with puppy eyes.

Her long red hair made her stand out in the sea of brunettes and blonde's, as did her attire, due to the fact that she was near his own height.

She wore a stunning fiery red halter evening dress with plunging neckline and draped cummerbund effect.

The long flowing sarong style skirt opened up at the left thigh showing off her long and supple leg exposing the tan, slender skin there. Meanwhile, the plunging neckline exposed a great deal of cleavage from her ample chest. The fiery red color of the entire ensemble contrasted beautifully with her fierce pale red hair and gave the young woman a look of sultry hot sex appeal.

Violet eye shadow and a touch of makeup upon her cheeks finished out the look, and truly brought out her brown eyes, which met his blue, for but the briefest of seconds, across the room.

The other girl, wore a lovely black dress.

It was long, flowing, and went down past her knees.

A single strap that went around her neck as it and her ample assets seemed to be the only things holding up the dress. The fabric itself was cut out at the sides, exposing the tan, smooth, and flawless skin of her hips.

Long gloved sleeves exposed her fingers, and ended at her elbows, still showing off her strong shoulders, and part of her chest, that the dress oddly did not strain against, as it had been custom made for one with such proportions as hers.

Calm, sea foam green orbs gazed back at him, showing only a _hint_ of amusement, as she flicked aside a strand of sandy blond hair, the rest of her long tresses done back into a smooth quartet of ponytails behind her head.

The blond then looked away to talk with the redhead, who in turn spared Naruto another glance, but this one was smoldering, _burning_, as if she were deliberately holding herself in check.

Idly, she flicked her hair to one side, as if distracted.

The long tresses cascaded down her back, with a strand hanging over her forehead, in addition to a portion of her it now hanging over either side of her shoulders.

Naruto took advantage of her momentary lapse of concentration, to instead gaze at the blond.

Her figure was slimmer in a sense, although she still retained an ample bosom and curves; her body could not be called compact, and therefore had a slimmer look to it making her movements lithe and graceful, adding sensuous beauty to even the slightest of steps-

She must've known he was watching her, as she raised a finger, and motioned for him to come over.

Her eyes twinkled with amusement, and her face was more refined and slender, suggesting a sort of aristocratic beauty.

Before he knew what was happening, his legs were moving.

He was dumbstruck by the beauty of these two vixens, as they alone seemed to outshine everyone in the club, almost as if a spotlight were being directed upon them.

Several of his comrades gave him cheers of encouragement, as he made his way towards them, some eager to see what would happen, others hoping he would get shot down, so _they _could have a shot at the two well endowed women.

Naruto was standing before them in no time at all.

"You rang?" He quipped, in an effort to get a conversation of sorts going.

The redhead rolled her eyes, but her companion giggled a bit, covering her mouth, the speaking as the laughter died away.

"You're…. Uzumaki Naruto, right?"

The jinchuuriki arched an eyebrow, but it wasn't surprising that they knew his name, he had become rather infamous for grandstanding, any chance he got.

"That'd be me."

The blond curtsied to him, smiling all the while, even as she rose. "Looks like the rumors were true. You're even more handsome in person. You're actually kinda cute now...

_'Now? Do I know her?'_

"I didn't get your name." He stated, knowing that although the temptation to spend time with these two was great, he simply did not have _time_ for idle chit-chat.

Her response was to raise the hem of her dress, exposing a Suna headband strapped to her left thigh, and a jagged line, as seen underneath the metal.

His eyes widened slightly in response, drawing a grin from her as she lowered the fabric back into place.

That scar.

"EH?! You're-

She grinned broadly, pleased to see that he still remembered her from the Mizukage coup, in which Zabuza had risen to power.

But back then, she didn't look like _this!_

She flashed him a sly grin. "Been awhile, hasn't it, Naruto?"

That did it, this was definitely her!

Immediately, he grabbed her in a big hug.

"Temari!"


	4. What does it Mean to Live?

The kunoichi let out a surprised cry, but returned his hug as best she could.

"Anyways, I'm the representative of Sunagakure-

She now jerked a thumb towards the redhead, who was leaning against the bar halfheartedly. "And the PMsing chick over here would be Tayuya, from Otougakure."

At this said redhead shot them both a murderous glare, spitting out:

"Bite me bitch."

Naruto winced. "Jeez, what's with the attitude?

He then took a seat beside the foul tempered kunoichi, who was still visibly seething from Temari's lighthearted joke, whilst said Suna shinobi took the seat next to Naruto on the bar.

"We're on the same side remember?" Chided the whiskered blond, extending his hand to her. "Can't we try to get along and be friends?"

Tayuya scowled, and looked at him as if he had the _plague_. "_Fuck_no!" She smacked his hand away with more force than necessary. "I'm just here to represent my country! I don't need no friggin' friends!"

The music on the dance floor suddenly changed, the lights dimming for just a second…

And when they came back up, Naruto's eyes were red, his pupils slitted.

So, she didn't need a _friend…_

He took pleasure in the fact that this unnerved her, exposing the tips of his now sharp fangs as he frowned. "Fine then. Now that you two are here then, what's next?"

Temari shrugged. "Nothing really. Just so long as were on good terms with each other, you don't really have to do much of anything yet."

Naruto looked gobsmacked. "That's it?

She rolled her eyes at the same time he did. "Pretty dramatic, huh?"

He was about to answer-

When a spotlight snapped on, illuminating the three of them.

Seconds later the DJ's voice boomed out from the mike, addressing the entire club.

"Now what's this, what's this, _what is this_? A handsome young man and his two _fine_ lovely ladies _not _dancing on this fine evening of celebrations and festivities?"

Everyone looked at the trio, some with disdain, others with amusement.

Someone started a chant, and within seconds it was a low roar of:

"Dance….Over and over again.

Naruto watched the crowd clear back, and make room for them.

Temari covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing, as Samba music started to play.

"I think I'll sit this one out…

Tayuya blinked rapidly as Naruto took her hand in his own.

"Shall we?"

She paled, and shook her head rapidly, whipping her red hair every which way in her insistent frenzy.

"No! N-No way in hell!"

"Aw, what's wrong? Little Taya-chan can't dance?" Came his mocking tone, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Several jeers and Oh's resonated throughout the structure and other such mockery was heard, causing the redhead to fume.

No, I'm not gonna give in…

"She can't dance!"

"Aw, poor little thing…

"That's what she gets for trying to show him up….

And so and so forth till the point where her blood began to boil.

She was teaching her tormentor a lesson that was what she told herself, as she allowed her body to move.

Gingerly, she took a step forward, and moved his hand to her back. She placed one hand upon his shoulder, and he pulled her other hand up, so he was holding it.

"Try to keep up." She hissed, as they began to move.

Naruto smirked. "I look forward to trying."

He pulled back, and in response, she twirled her left foot, drawing her face close to his, her breath hot on his face, her fierce brown eyes screaming defiance.

"Ready?"

"Bring it on." Was the smooth reply, as her feet moved in between his, as they weaved through the first step of the intricately sensual dance that is a samba.

Everyone went silent to watch, as she ducked low, and allowed herself to be spun by him, twirling by the fingertips…

Until she adjusted her spin so as to head back in towards him…

And to hook her right leg round his own.

This drew several 'Ooh's' and 'Ah's' from the spectators, even more so as she allowed her weight to rest on him, till the point where he was holding her up by the hand, and she was hanging from that leg…

Whilst her other tilted straight up into the air, showing of her legs, and then coming back down, to release, and spin away from him.

At one point during their spin, she locked both legs around his waist, for just a moment, and enjoyed the look of surprise that flashed across his features, before their movements continued, and she released again, spinning one leg out as she landed.

The crowd cheered and clapped.

Their movements began to hasten, as they darted towards each other, but pulled away at the last second, moving as one about the floor.

Finally, she spun herself out at arms length, spinning so fast that she was a red blur…

Until he yanked her towards him, clearly intending to catch her around the waist and stop there…

But oh no, she would have none of that!

At the last second before he could stop her with his arms, she twisted an inch or so to the left…

And delivered a swift peck on the cheek, sealing the dance with her as the victor, and in his arms.

Everyone let out a loud cry of surprise, as thanks to the spotlight following them both all over the floor, that little peck had been seen by just about everybody.

Everyone mentally thanked Kami that Isarabi and Haku were not present, or the fourth great shinobi war would have started right here and now.

Naruto seemed to sense this as well, and waved a hand to the DJ, whilst Tayuya whispered into his ear, and shoved a crumpled piece of paper into his pocket: "Looks like I won."

Quickly, the fellow placed another track down, and the spotlight flickered off.

Now, hard pounding bass music replaced the gently rhythmic tunes of the samba.

Temari walked up behind Naruto, and pulled at his wrist, drawing him away from the redhead, a small grin set upon her features, as the redhead pouted.

"Sorry Tay, but I'm gonna borrow him for a bit. You know, diplomatic relations and such…

Naruto cast a quick look over his shoulder, then Temari swapped spots with him, to rest her back against his chest. Slowly, her hands snaked up to his arms, and upon finding them pulled down his hands to rest upon her stomach, which could easily be felt through the thin fabric of her dress, almost as if he was touching her very skin.

Immediately, Naruto blushed, unused to such aggressive behaviors.

"W-Whoa! Temari-chan!"

"Hmm? What's wrong?" She purred softly, as she moved against him, causing him to stiffen slightly. "It's not like you're taken or anything, Naruto."

"Y-Yeah, but-

"Oh come on, just relax and have fun."

She twisted in his grip, moving his hands to rest against her hips, as they moved, grinding against each other.

His protests soon died off, as her words rang over and over in his head.

It HAD been awhile since he let loose and did anything for himself…

When was the last time he had been with a girl and not felt guilty?

Never.

He got an image of that girl he couldn't remember…

But this time, he ignored it.

He'd find her, but tonight…

Temari's smirk grew, as she felt his hands dig into her skin, sending warm sensations coursing throughout her entire body.

He wanted to _live._

Besides, after all, he _wasn't_ taken.

And you know the old saying.

Finder's keepers, loser's weepers.

Temari was smirking as she thought that to herself, turned round in his arms...

And kissed him squarely on the lips.

His tongue ramming down his throat drew a whimper from her, but he pulled away. Words were wasted on them in that moment.

Before anything could be said, she grabbed him by his headband, and pulled him into another kiss, this one rougher, fiercer, and much sloppier than before, as they left the dance floor, to take shelter in a more….

Secluded place.

He had just proven that he was willing to inebriate himself in the affairs of both Suna and Otou, which meant…

Yesiree, this invasion was going to go off without a hitch!

"Apartment." He murmured, breaking away from this kiss, to look her in the eyes. "Now."

She nodded, "Took the words right outta my mouth."

Then she was grabbing him by the hand, and leading him away….

--

They entered and she locked the door behind him.

He found his hands go under her dress, then she helped him get it off.

Surprisingly, she wore a bra and panties underneath.

Almost immediately, their mouth's locked together once again.

She pushed him back onto the bed, and in turn, he flipped her, so he was on top.

Within seconds, she precisely rolled him over again, obviously making it clear that she wanted to be on him, not the other way around.

His hands, seeking payback of sorts, suddenly snaked under her bra, lightly grasped at the expansive cleavage their, cupping her breasts delicately.

She moaned into his mouth, and at this point, it felt like she was trying to reach the back of his throat with her tongue.

He squeezed in response, thoroughly molesting the fleshy mounds, making her moans a fierce husky groan, barely muffled in his mouth.

Speaking of which, he was almost certain that he'd be mute by tomorrow, as his throat was growing raw from the passionate kissing and lack of air, as he squeezed down on the tender skin, making her speed up against him

She suddenly released him, then undid the belt that held the jeans to his body.

Blue eyes glinted red as he kicked off the clothing, then was attacked once more with her lips, both of them clad in only their undergarments by this point.

With all the moving around, her ponytails had come undone, and now her long blond hair dangled into his face, bouncing with every movement, as they rolled about on the bed, vying for dominance.

He had awoken something in her, something that wasn't easily going back into its cage, not until it was satiated.

And her hunger could only be satisfied by _him_.

She was suddenly aware that he no longer held her there, but instead, his hands had seized her by the waist, causing her to eep, then attack him with renewed frenzy, as she expertly rolled him over on the ground, where her clothes lay.

Her hands released him again, to fiddle with the clasp of the bra, but she undid with her nimble fingers when it would not come undone.

Naruto was blushing as she stared in awe as her glorious bust spilled out into the open before his very eyes, the large mounds of soft flesh giving a steady bounce as they found themselves free of their restraints.

He had an overpowering urge to grab and squeeze them right then.

And he did.

He again groped her breasts, she squeezed his shoulders in response, making him squeeze back, thoroughly molesting the fleshy mounds, making her moans a fierce husky groan, barely muffled in his mouth once more, as she arched her back against him.

Continuously he squeezed down on the tender skin, making her speed up against him, as the last of their clothes fell to the ground, his hands finally releasing her sore chest, to caress her by the waist, a her legs locking round his back, pulling him deeper into her.

The feelings, both emotional and physical, welled up within them, until-until-

"Ah...

A simultaneous groan escaped them, as pleasure exploded in their bodies.

Seconds later, they collapsed upon the bed.

Laughing, she hugged him tightly.

"Baka."

He grinned, at a loss for words.

"Temari...I-you-we-That was...

"Amazing... she purred, cuddling up to him, to lay her form across his chest, suddenly very, very tired, wantonly atop him.

"You said it...He panted.

But silently, he felt ill at ease.

He was still thinking of his mystery girl, and though the sex had been good...

He felt wrong somehow, like he needed to take a shower.

--

(Morning)

Naruto sighed raggedly as he slipped back on his shirt, then fell back against the pillows.

It was still dark out, but he was unable to sleep.

_She _was still in his dreams, and he almost saw her face this time...

Until his body woke him up, telling him that it was time to start his day.

He was quick to steal a glance down to Temari in bed, the sheets wrapped around her naked form, so as to preserve her modesty.

She was out cold, snoring softly.

A smile traced her face, and now his as well.

At some point last night, her ponytails had come undone, and now her long luscious locks hung freely over her shoulders, and into her face partly.

Slowly, he reached across her face to push the tresses aside, and in response she crinkled her nose.

The sight of this softer side of her gave him an idea.

He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper...

--

Temari awoke, and quickly sat up, covering herself with the sheets.

"Naruto?"

She finds a piece of paper, folded up in her lap.

With one hand holding the sheets around herself, she picked it up, peered at the note, or rather, the simple line he had left for her.

_You should keep your hair down, Temari._

_~Uzumaki Naruto_

She idly ran a hand through her hair as she pondered his words, and smiling, folded it up, placing it on the nearby dresser, as the sun began to rise.

"Heh. I just might do that."


	5. Her Name at Last

**This chap is short cuz next time, they go to the LEAF!**

(Several days later Outside the village)

Naruto was strangely silent as he gave Isarabi the Rajin blade, which in turn made her blush heavily.

"Na-Naruto-kun!"

"Um...Do you like it?" He asked sheepishly, an entirely different person out of battle. "I mean, we're taking the Leaf's Chunin Exams soon, and I already got a sword, so...

She nodded, and clasped the blade to her belt.

"H-Hai."

She glomped her best friend mere seconds later, causing him to turn beet red in embarassment.

"Ariagtou!"

Immediately, Haku rolled her eyes, a mix of annoyance/jealousy flashing through her.

"Take it easy you two. We're not home yet."

Naruto sighed, as the moment was spoiled, and they broke apart.

"Haku-chan, you're such a killjoy...

"Excuse me?" She asked in a sweet tone, but the look in her eyes was deadly.

"N-Nothing!" He sputtered defensively, as they sprinted through the treetops, a series of scrolls and documents strapped to their backs, complete copies of the originals.

With Iwa and Konoha none the wiser.

All three of them were clearly High-Jonin level, despite being in their teen years.

But the Leaf did not know that, nor did anyone outside of the Mist.

When the exams came...

Konoha was _so_ toast.

--

(Next day)

"You wanted to see me?" Asked Naruto, as he entered Zabuza's office, covered in sweat and dirt, from his training regimen.

The Mizukage turned in his chair, gesturing to his guest.

"Not me kid...

The man's pale skin and long black hair made him easily recognizable, as did those serpentine eyes.

Naruto felt a chill creep over his body.

Yet Zabuza seemed to take no notice of it.

"This guy. Meet Orochimaru. He's the leader of Hidden Sound."

Naruto stood where he was, but clearly he was ill at ease.

Those five bodyguards of his didn't help him much either.

"Nice to meet you."

"Kukuku...I don't bite." Remarked the sannin offhandedly. "As a matter of fact, I have need of your talents."

_Now _he had a bad feeling about this.

"How so?"

"Nothing much, I merely ask that you give some of your _skills _to my men."

"Speak english." Snapped Naruto.

"He mean's training, ya dipshit!" Remarked the redhead, who upon closer inspection, was the only female amongst Orochimaru's guards.

Naruto recognized her immediately.

"Taya-chan?!"

"Oh, so you met my representative last night." Purred Orochimaru, enjoying the sight of the two blushing heavily.

"Yeah, we've met." Naruto replied, looking off to one side in annoyance, whilst Tayuya was still blushing lightly.

"But what's in it for me?" Quipped the blond. Anything like this had better be worthwile.

Orochimaru seemed to think this over.

"Very well then. In exchange for your services...

He seemed to zone out for a moment, before coming back to reality.

"I shall tell you the name of the girl you seek-

Naruto was incredulous, interrupting halfway, snarling viciously, waving his hands in exaggerated, violent gestures.

He had heard a great deal about Orochimaru through his spy network.

None of it was good news either.

"Just her name?! Bullshit! No way-

-And, I will guarantee her safety during the invasion, and afterwards." Finished the sannin, and this caused Naruto to go rigid.

It had never even remotely _occured_ to him what might happen to his mystery girl in the invasion. Even _if _he were to find her before the time came, what if they got seperated, or what if the final plan involved him duking it out with Konoha's main force?

"So you're telling me, that if I train your guys for the rest of the week, then nothing bad will happen to-

"Correct." Suppled the pale man, tossing him a card, which he caught between two fingers.

"Nothing bad will happen to Hinata Hyuuga."

Naruto's eyes tripled, and just like that...

He remebered her face, even as he read over the ninja info card!

"Hinata Hyuuga... That's her name?"

The way it rolled off his tongue, it felt as if he had said it thousands, no _millions _of times.

The face that stared out at him was young, this card was probably made a year or two after he was booted out of the village.

His eyes widened as he saw that she had even completed a B-rank mission.

Of course she was older now, and so was he.

She'd probably be around 15 at this time?

He couldn't wait to see her again regardless.

Tenderly, he tucked the card away.

"Deal. I train your goons, and you make sure she's safe."

Orochimaru extended a hand.

"Agreed."

They shook.

"I expect great things from you." Stated the Sanin, as he turned to go.

Naruto felt uneasy immediately.

Why did it feel as if he had just signed his soul away?


	6. At Long Last

**Sorry i havent updated any of my naruto fics lately. ive been kinda obsessed with bleach!**

**--**

So...

This was the Leaf Village.

The last time he'd been here, it had been night, and he hadn't exactly tarried to take in the sights. Now, with the morning sun at his back, and the clear, cloudless sky before him, he could see it clearly.

He stared at if from the trees, with something akin to apprehension. He'd trained Orochimaru's elites, and in return the sannin had promised _her _protections. A knot of dread coiled in Naruto's stomach, ready to strangle him. Part of him was excited, eager to head down there and possibly see this 'Hinata'...

The other half of him looked down upon Konoha, and was filled with hate. He wanted to wipe them out! Not just off the map, but off the very face of this planet! Let that be a lesson to those who would torment him!

With a great effort, he clenched his hands into fists. Behind him, hidden in the trees, were easily a hundred mist shinobi. You couldn't see them, but their prescence was almost certainly felt, as was the sense of Haku and Isarabi at his left and right, without even looking.

They would be here, waiting, should things go wrong. It wasn't that Zabuza didn't trust Orochimaru...Actually, yeah, that was it. He hadn't become the 'Demon of the Mist' by trusting people, no matter how many gifts they shove in your face.

In a month's time, this would all be over.

Silently, he rose to his feet, the tree branch creaking beneath his weight.

"Let's go."

The mission had begun.

--

They presented their passes to the guards, and were let through, albeit grudgingly. With not much to do, the trio walked around for a little bit, but soon grew bored. After all, it was still early morning.

They checked into their hotel and stored their gear. Once everything was secure, Naruto plopped down on the bed and promptly fell 'asleep' as did Haku and Isarabi. In contrast, he was actually wide awake, as were they. This was there way of determening whether their lodging was safe.

If it was not, then the owner or worse, thugs hired by the owner, would be coming in to try and rob them. If it was safe, well, then they could actually sleep peacefully. Secretly, Naruto hoped someone would be stupid enough to try a stunt like that. Then he'd have an excuse to go hog wild on these bastards.

But, after an hour of this charade, nothing happened. They contented themselve merely to hang around for the remainder of the morning. Naruto read a bit of his book, while Haku and Isarabi practiced their scroll writing.

By afternoon, Naruto left for a different destination. Haku did not object, and neither did Isarabi. Both his teammates watched him go with an almost sad look. They knew what he was after, and there was absolutely no way of stopping them. He'd been paying less and less attention to them both, ever since last week.

Whoever this mystery girl was, he seemed to be all but _obsessed _with her. And when Naruto was obsessed with something, there was absolutely nothing you could do to distract him. For now, they knew it best to ride out what they thought would be a fleeting thing, and then he would be back to his usual, hyperactive self...

--

He had an outdated photo of her, clutched in his hand. It was obviously taken back when she was younger. While it did not help to narrow his search much, it still made him happy, to have some rememberance of her. Not like this would actually help him now.

He asked almost everyone he saw about her, and gradually began to get a sense of direction. The funny thing was, most people frowned whenever he gave her name out. When they did give him directions, it was something like: "Oh, you're looking for _her? _She's over that way."

It was like she was a bigshot or something. She had to be, if she was part of the Hyuuga clan. An old man just told him that. He asked a young man, and he said she was actually on his team, introducing himself to be Kiba. He pointed Naruto in a much more specific direction, and directed him to the village square.

"You'll probably find her there." He said, as someone called his name. "Good luck!" Naruto shook his hand and turned to go, for the young man had now run off. He'd have to ask that this Kiba guy be spared. He was pretty cool.

He asked countless other people, and got nothing. After a fruitless search, he went back to the inn, resolved to start tommorrow, his last free day before the exams.

--

He searched for what seemed like another hour, and by then it was evening, he spied a young woman. She was the only one around at the moment, so he moved to show the picture to her. Perhaps she knew something?

The young woman jumped slightly, when he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me?"

Momentarily, he noted long navy blue hair.

The young woman in question wore a jacket and baggy pants. Aside from her uniquely colored hair, there wasn't anything special about her. She seemed to be pretty, except the way she seemed to perpetually hang her head, as if in shame.

"Excuse me miss, have you seen this girl?"

The young woman, who had to be sixteen at best, took the photo, and stared at it. She continued to stare at it. After ten seconds of this, Naruto grew annoyed, and reached to take the photo back.

She probably didn't even remember him. Surely he would have heard of her by now.

"Th-This photo, where did you get it?" She asked softly, before he could take it back. Something clicked then, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. Maybe she _did_ know something.

Typical Naruto.

"I've had it for a long while."

She raised her head, and her eyes were revealed to be a pearly lavender. "Th-This picture, this is me, when I was ten years old. Only two of them were taken. I have the first, and only one other person has the second-

They both seemed to realize it at the exact same time, and their eyes tripled. After all, it was blatantly obvious. It just took their minds some time to process what their eyes were screaming out at them.

For a moment, nothing happened.

She somehow spoke first, sporting a light pink blush.

"I-Is your name...N-Naruto?"

He nodded slowly.

"You...Your name wouldn't happen to be-

"Hinata." She finished for him.

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

"No way. No friggin way." He muttered under his breath.

This was Hinata.

And she was beautiful.

She was around the 5'4 mark, but that didn't lessen her beauty. Only the Konoha headband around her neck served that purpose. Her face was smooth and slender, and her eyes were now swimming with tears. She was clearly well endowed under that jacket of hers, but he could only tell that, because Haku often wore a jacket to hide her weapons.

There was no mistaking _anything_ about this angel.

She squeaked in surprise as he softly hugged her.

"Hinata...do you remember me?"

Shakily, she hugged him back.

"Naruto...O-Of course I remember you....I never stopped missing you.... And then she began to cry, openly bawling into his shirt, into his chest. She had so many questions! She felt like she was about to burst!

"Where were you?! Were did you go?! I missed you so much!" She spewed all this out and more, as she bawled her heart out.

"It's a LONG story." He murmurred, pulling her into his chest. "I'll tell you about it later." It was almost as if he had never left. It had been so long, yet none of that mattered now. None, none of it, nothing at all. He was so _blessed_ to find her this quickly!

It didn't occur to him or her that they'd be enemies in the exams.

Her crush was alive!

His friend was alive!

And right here, right now, at this very moment...

Nothing could make them happier.

--

Orochimaru laughed from his perch atop the building.

"Kukuku...so this is his precious woman....I will have to make _good_ use of her...


End file.
